


The Ocean Blue

by FriendlyPizzaRoll



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Merman Arin Hanson, Ocean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-02-27 10:08:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18736909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FriendlyPizzaRoll/pseuds/FriendlyPizzaRoll
Summary: Dan hates the ocean, which is odd because he loves the beach....Dan has visited the shore everyday for the last few years and has never seen anything particularly off, but one day, he meets a friendly merman by the name of Arin, and things might change... forever.





	1. I Saw You

Dan hates the ocean, which is odd because he loves the beach.

He visited it every day, getting close to the shore, but never getting in. There was an old dock on the eastern side of the beach, with a cliff over hanging it. It was old and wet, not to mention breaking down slowly because of the salt water, but he still found himself standing or sitting at the edge of it, humming the latest tune he had stuck in his head.

He had done this almost everyday for a few years, so it was no surprise that he found himself at the dock again today, humming an old song he long forgot the lyrics to.

A soft splash caught his attention, the humming stopping abruptly. Nothing. Hesitantly, he looked away and began humming the tune again, this time louder. The splashing began again in response, making the same beat as the soft humming. Dan swiftly turned again, heart beating.

Nothing.

Dan was frightened now, though he loved the beach, the fear of sharks always remained, even with things as small as this.  
"Hello?" He greeted reluctantly. He heard nothing at first, but what he saw made up for that. A giant fish-like creature swam swiftly just below the surface, scales glimmering gently in the suns glow. Dan jumped, though he knew deep down it wasn't a shark (they don't have scales, silly), the fear still got his adrenaline going.

"...Hello?" Dan called again. This time, there was no response at all. Dan cleared his throat, "I saw you!" He called out, louder than his past attempts.  
Suddenly, a head popped out from under the water, making Dan jump, a scream getting caught in his throat.

There was silence as Dan regained his balance and got a good look at the man. He was quite handsome, despite the wet hair and dripping face. His hair was shoulder length and a soft brown with a single golden strip going down one side of his head. He had a scruffy beard overlapping his soft smile. His eyes were a wide and curious, complimented by the cocoa brown color that they were.

Dan stared for a moment, before finally regaining his composer and taking a step closer, the old wood of the dock creaking below his weight.  
"Hey!" The man said enthusiastically, catching Dan off gaurd again. "Jesus! How long have you been under there?!" Dan cried, stepping forward with less caution. "You scared me half to death!" The man cowered a bit at Dan's shouts, cringing at the pitch of his voice.  
"Sorry..." He mumbled, "I've just never seen a human before..."

Dan paused at that, then finally sneered at the poor guy, "Are you one of those stupid fucking prank channels? Fucking God, I just can't catch a break, can I?" The man's eyes went wide and curious again, and he swam a bit closer, despite how much Dan had scared him only a moment ago.  
"Channel? Whats that? Is that one of those human technologies my parents warned me about? Is it like a fork? My mom told me forks are like mini tritents! Wait, what does 'fuck' mean?" Arin only seemed to get more excited as he spoke, his eyes sparkling as he asked his questions. Dan stares at him for a moment, the sneer slowly fading.

"Are you trying to tell me you're a mermaid, AND you've never seen a fork?" Dan asked quietly. Arin made a face, "MerMAN. I'm a man. Jeez." Arin rolled his eyes. Dan sighed. "Alright, friend, show me your tail." He waited a moment, and was caught of gaurd when the man complied with no arguement, flipping over so his head pointed to the sea bed and his tail hit the chilly air above the surface. Dan studied the tail for a moment, not realizing at first that is was the same glimmering pink tail he had seen swimming under water only minutes before. Dan gasped at that realization, so shocked he didn't even bat an eye when the man splashed him on his way back up.

"Guys say its funny that I have a pink tail, but its actually not that uncommon for Mermen. We're usually born with our tail being our favorite color, but even though our favorite colors change, our tail doesn't, I still love pink, though." The man chuckled, "Do humans have anything like that?" He asked, genuinely curious. Dan shook his head, clearly confused.

"But... mermaids aren't real..." He murmured, making the man huff, "merMAN. Already explained that, but, ya' know, guess you could just ignore it." Dan didn't hear what he said, too lost in his own thoughts to listen to anything.

"What... What's your name?" Dan asked softly, looking directly into the man's eyes. He smiled, "Arin!" He stated matter-of-factly. Dan nodded, "Dan. That's my name, Dan." He said slowly, as if Arin couldn't understand English. Arin was still smiling as he propelled his hand up, as if to shake Dan's hand. Dan reluctantly brought out his hand, only to be shocked as Arin took it and gently placed a kiss on his knuckles.

Dan pulled his hands back roughly, almost slapping Arin in the process.  
"Dude! What the hell?" He shouted unforgivingly. Arin cowered away again, confusion written all over his face. Dan's face was hot, but not completely because he was angry.  
"What? What'd I do?" Arin panicked. Dan scowled, "you just kissed my hand, moron!" Arin looked more confused than even now, only nodding his head in confirmation. Now Dan was confused too, squinting at Arin as he rubbed the spot Arin had kissed on his knuckles.

"That's... Uh... Typically a romantic gesture." Dan explained, now fully believing Arin saw nothing wrong with the action. Arin seemed less confused now, but he was clearly a bit puzzled.

"Oh! Is it? Well... Maybe for humans, but for merfolk it's just an average greeting customary," Arin explained his own side of the story promptly, "well, actually, it's seen as a normal greeting if you kiss the back of the hand, it's only recognised as a romantic gesture if you kiss the palm." Arin pointed to different locations on his hand as he explained, not bothering to look up at Dan as he did.

Arin looked back up at one point, where he was met with Dan's pink face as he still held his own hand.  
"That seems... Over complicated." Dan stated blankly. Arin shrugged, "maybe for humans, but I personally don't see what's so hard to understand." Arin grinned.

They talked a bit more, though Dan was still surprised, and to be completely honest, a bit scared. Eventually, Arin looked up at the sky and realized the sun was low and about to set.

"Oh! I should be going," Arin turned back to Dan, "maybe I'll see you again?" He said, though it sounded more like a question and less like a statement. Dan nodded, a smile growing slowly. He never thought he'd ever get the chance to meet a mermai- man. Merman.

Arin gently grabbed Dan's hand and placed another kiss on his knuckles, before swimming off entirely. Dan didn't panic this time, but he did begin to rub the knuckle again.

He didn't want to go to bed that night, he was too afraid of waking up and realizing this was all a dream. Though it wouldn't be a complete disappointment, Dan rarely dreamed so a long and pleasant dream like this one... Well, he wouldn't mind.

After sitting for what felt like forever, so long the sun had completely set, Dan finally got up and made the uphill trek to his beat-up car.

As much as he wanted to, Dan knew he wouldn't tell anyone about what he saw today. Not just because he knew people wouldn't believe him, though that is a reason, but because he could only imagine what they'd do if they did.


	2. Human Food

Dan thought about Arin for a week after that, he just couldn't get him off his mind. He hasn't visited the dock- or even the beach for that matter- because he was too afraid to see if it had all been real and not some weird hallusination.

Eventually, after gathering the nerve in the mirror for over an hour, he decided to go back and confirm Arin's existence. It was about noon, and since he believed he would be out for a while, he packed some snacks. A pack of Skittles, a big bag of Cheetos (spicy, baby!), and a bottle of Pepsi (there was no Coke).

...

Once he was at the beach, he immediately jogged over to the dock he was so accustomed to. Once there, he sat down near the edge with his feet hanging over the side, feeling the water ever so slightly splash his feet. The waves were small and calm that day, with the sun gleaming gracefully off of them. Dan sighed and pulled out the package of Skittles, almost forgetting about his mission.

"What's that?" A voice asked suddenly, making Dan jump high enough to almost drop the candy. Dan recognised the voice immediately. He looked down at the merman, who stared right back at him with an equal amount of curiousity.

Dan didn't know how to react right away, clutching the sweets tight in his hand before finally answering Arin.

"Skittles. They're uh.... They're called Skittles." Dan replied while pouring a few Skittles in his hand (two yellows, one red, and one green, in case you were curious) and thrusting his hand out to Arin. Arin looked at the candy for a second, confusion very apparent on his face.

"Skittles? What are they for?" He asked, still prodding at the contents of Dan's hand.

Dan chuckled, "It's candy, like food? You eat it." Dan informed, pushing the candy closer to Arin. Arin stared at them for another moment before reluctantly taking a yellow one and placing it in his mouth. After a moment of sucking on the candy, Arin beams and begins to chew. He smiles brightly up at Dan.

"This is what humans eat?!" He shouts excitedly. Dan laughs and shakes his head, "Not all the time, Skittles are a candy, we eat them as a treat." Dan corrects before pulling out the Cheetos.

"Not all treats are sweet, though." Dan opens the bag and almost hands Arin one, before last second pulling out the Pepsi (spicy Cheetos, remember?). He hands Arin a Cheeto.

"It's hot, be careful." Dan warns. Arin nods and sniffs the Cheetos, eventually putting it in his mouth. The reaction is different from the Skittles, but it's not exactly negative. Arin sticks out his tounge and looks up at Dan, panicked.

"Why does it burn? Why do I like it? Gimme more." Arin lifts himself up slightly, clearly still burning up. Dan laughs and hands Arin the Pepsi, explaining that he should drink it.

Arin takes a gulp of the beverage, surprise over taking his expression. "Wh- what? What is this called?" Arin asks, eyeing the wrong side of the label.

"Pepsi. It's a pop, or soda, either name works." He answers, taking the drink back and taking a sip himself. Arin is excited now, his tail swishing happily under water as he smiles up at Dan.

"Do humans really eat these?" He asks, his smile not fading for even a split second. Dan nods and hands Arin more Skittles, which appeared to be Arin's favorite (Dan's too, which excited him personally).

Dan continued to explain other kinds of food to Arin, including how humans ate certain fish (Arin didn't seem to mind, apparently merfolk eat them on occasion, too). He explained how restraunts worked and the different kinds of them. Arin was absolutely fascinated, his eyes wide and his tail waving back and forth beneath the surface of the water.

At some point, Dan realizes it's getting dark. He didn't leave. He stays and continues to tell Arin about human food and culture, Arin captivated by every word and detail.

Finally, Arin looks up at the dark sky and winces, "Its really late... You should have left hours ago." He says softly before returning his gaze to Dan. Arin really is attractive, Dan won't deny that. Dan nods and stands up, picking up the trash from the junk food they had been eating.

As Dan picks up the Skittles package, he realizes there is two left, a red one and a green one. Dan smiles and leans back down. Handing Arin the red one, he holds on to the green one. Arin smiles and eats the Skittle.

After a moment of silence, Arin pulls Dan's other hand toward his lips and kisses the knuckles gently. Without another word, Arin swims away. Dan sighs and looks down at the green Skittle in his hand. He ate it quietly, still sitting on the dock and hearing the waves splash gently against the dock.

He gets up after what feels like hours of silent pondering and makes his way towards his old car, the trash from Arin and his miniature feast held tightly in his left hand.

"I'm totally coming back tomorrow." He says quietly to himself as he starts up the car and drives away, the comfortable silence following him as he drives all the way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I've been gone for a minute (sorry). I hope you're enjoying the story so far!


	3. What's the Ocean Like?

And he did.

Dan came back everyday for a month, bringing different foods for Arin to try (most of which he enjoyed). One day he brought cheese cake, the next was Kool Aid, etc. Dan enjoyed his daily visits to the charming merman, so full of energy and curiousity, he couldn't help but be drawn to him.

Dan arrived at usual time he came, this time bringing an assortment of different chocolates. He sat on the dock and pulling a Herseys bar out of his bag. As soon as he had opened it and took a bite, the familiar merman appeared, the same curious glint in his eyes as he stared the candy bar down.

"What's that?" He asked, using his elbows to pull his upper body up onto the dock while his tail swished just under the surface. Dan smiled and gestured towards the chocolate as he handed it over to Arin.

"Chocolate. It's pretty rare to find someone who doesn't like it." He replied with a smile as Arin took a bite without hesitation. Arin was clearly pleased with the treat as he took another bite, glancing up at Dan.

"Oops! Did you want more?" Arin asked, his mouth full. Dan chuckled, "Nah, I'm good. Don't... don't talk with your mouth full." Dan laughed and Arin huffed, ignoring Dan and continuing to talk.

Dan wasn't exactly listening, his mind was somewhere else that day. He scanned the sea and the nearby beach. It took some time for him to realize it, but Dan had come to find that his fear of the ocean had slowly been disappearing. This fact never failed to make Dan smile, and he knew Arin would smile too, if he were to tell him. He thought about that, long and hard, and then a question popped into his head.

"What's the ocean like?" Dan asked in the middle of Arin's story (something about some guy named Ross. Apparently, he was a sadist). Arin looked up at him, questions in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" He asked in turn, his dramatic hand movement coming to an end as he lowered them. Dan shrugged.

"Just... what's it like? Living down there and all..." Dan felt a bit stupid, but he was too curious; he needed to know. Arin smiled and giggled a bit.

"It's... well, It's kinda like..." Arin paused and looked up at Dan and grinned, "Why don't you just come down here?" He asked innocently. Dan didn't even have even a second to refuse or argue before he was tugged under the water by Arin.

Dan panicked, he kicked and tried to hold his breath. He sqeezed his eyes shut as he attempted to swim up, only to hit his head on the dock above. He almost screamed at the mixture of pain and surprise, but he managed to keep his mouth and eyes shut and swim out away from the dock more. He attempted swimming up again, this time with more caution. He had never felt more relief as his head hit cool air and sunlight.

He opened his eyes slowly, taking deep breaths as he swam towards the dock. He was shaking horribly, fear and adrenaline still coursing through his veins and his heart beating wildly. He turned shakily towards where he saw Arin last and almost snarled when he saw Arin still there.

"Are you fucking out of your mind?!" He yelled, spiralling into a coughing fit as soon as he spit the sentence out. Arin quivered at Dan's tone, lowering into the water until his mouth and everything below it was completely submerged under water. Dan didn't care; he refused to give in to the innocent facade. _He is an adult man,_ Dan thought,  _he can't just be cute and get away with whatever he did!_

None the less, when Dan looked into Arin's regretful eyes, his anger immediately simmered down. He calmly swept his wet, salty hair out of his face and sat down idian style. He silently beckoned Arin with one hand and put the other in his lap, not saying a word the entire time. Arin obeyed, though hesitantly, and swam closer to the dock.

"...I'm sorry..." Arin apologized softly as he rested his head on the side of the dock. Dan just remained silent as he scooted closer to Arin and began softly petting his hair in an attempt to calm both of them down. After a few minutes of silent petting Dan sighed and grabbed his bag. He pulled out a Reeses cup and opened it, then gave it to Arin.

"...Reeces. Its chocolate  _and_ peanut butter." He said, a soft and reassuring smile on his face as Arin took a bite. He really liked it.

They sat there for hours, eating chocolate in silence as the regretted some of the days decisions. It was dark when Dan finally grabbed all the wrappers they had scattered and shoved them into the bag.

He turned back to Arin and put out his hand, hoping he hasn't scared him so much that he wouldn't give him the daily hand kiss. Much to Dan's relief, Arin grabbed his hand gently and gave a soft kiss to the knuckle, before smiling up one last time and swimming away.

Dan started rubbing the kissed knuckle on habit as he stood up with his bag and walked towards his car. He wasn't exactly sure if he should even come back the next day, in case Arin was upset or still scared. He decided it would only make Arin feel worse if he didn't show up, so he decided to just start planning the next snack he would bring as he drove off into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and sorry for not updating for so long. Things are finally less busy and I'll be able to update more frequently


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